Sauna & heat acclimation

Of all the documented medical benefits regular sauna practice provides, heat acclimation is one that is mentioned less often.

Back in May of this year, I attended an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas. As one would expect we had bright sunny skies and temperatures in the low to mid 90s. Being in the desert, it wasn’t humid, but for most concert goers (even the locals) this was their first taste of summer heat.

I live in the mountains of NC where it very rarely gets hot. A hot day for us is 85 and by early May we’d only had a few days where the high had even exceeded 70. As such you would expect that the heat of the desert would have been a problem for me. Suffice to say, it was not.

You have probably already surmised the reason why it was not an issue for me. Yes, it is in fact because I am a regular practitioner of sauna. My 2-3 days per week of sauna at 180F throughout the winter and spring conditioned my body to tolerate the toasty Vegas temperatures. The same cannot be said for many of the other concert attendees.

In spite of all the shaded areas, free water and misting stations, thousands of people left the concert for several hours during the daytime to head back to their air conditioned hotel room or casino, only to return at sunset. Unfortunately for them they missed some amazing performances. My friend and I arrived when the gates opened at 11am and stayed onsite until the show ended at midnight. I made sure to stay hydrated and took advantage of the ample shaded areas to get a break from the sun. I may not have been overheating, but the relentless sun certainly does take its toll in other ways.

So, perhaps you are planning to attend an outdoor festival in the desert? Or maybe you are training in cooler conditions for a endurance race such as a marathon or triathlon held in a warmer climate. If so, consider incorporating sauna into your routine. I can promise that you’ll certainly have a much better experience than those who do not!